


Taken

by Punk_Grape



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 11:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20357890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punk_Grape/pseuds/Punk_Grape
Summary: What was supposed to be a celebration, turned into a kidnapping, and Emperor will do anything to get his brother home safe





	Taken

**Author's Note:**

> At this point in the AU, Emperor is married to Rider

Medieval  
The three sat at the end of a table, Emperor between Prince and Rider, watching as people filed in to dine with them. Rider knew they were celebrating something, he wasn’t entirely sure as he had yet to remember all the different occasions to celebrate in this kingdom. His kingdom. He married the king. Still, he enjoyed any time he could get with Prince and Emperor, it was still rare for the two to be in the same room at the same time. “What exactly are we celebrating?” Rider asked, and Emperor pinched his nose; this was his third time asking. 

“It’s for when our bloodline was first established,” Prince interjected, earning an approving look from his brother. “We’re the twelfth generation.” 

Rider nodded, that celebration he could understand; at least it wasn’t some ridiculous event Emperor came up with simply to show off, he hated attending those. “Rider, perhaps you should attend history lessons with Prince, seeing as you still know very little of our kingdoms past,” Emperor suggested, and Rider scowled. No way was he being tutored in history. 

“Think again if you expect me to study with Prince.” 

“You’ll have a quiz next week, no excuses,” the king replied, finishing the conversation. 

For half the meal, Rider pouted; it wasn’t visible to anyone but Prince and Emperor, who knew him well enough to know the signs. He finally lightened up when he saw Emperor drop his hand off the table, to rest it on Rider’s leg. The last thing he remembered was lowering his own hand, reaching to grab the king’s, but never made it as he blacked out before he could reach Emperor. 

Over the span of a minute, everyone in the banquet hall passed out, slipping into a dreamless slumber that would only end when it the gas wore off. Two people cloaked in black walked in, and made a beeline for the head of the table. The two regarded the king with distaste, then glanced at his family, finding their prize. 

Emperor felt like a flat of bricks had been dropped on his head, his vision swam as he sat up, gripping the table to steady himself. He wasn’t sure what had happened, a quick survey told him that everyone there had experienced something similar; Rider groaning next to him, head in hands as he tried to keep his head still. 

The king looked to his other side and saw an empty chair; in a flash he ducked under the table, but saw no sign of his little brother. Not under the table, not in the mass of struggling to awaken people, not in his chair. Prince was not in the room. 

Metal plate armour could be heard from the hall, N-Pacer had heard something had gone wrong, and her first priority was the king. The look on his face she knew, it had only appeared once before, when he lost his parents, and after scanning the area she knew why. 

Rider had picked up on something being wrong, and worked with the captain to get Emperor out of the hall, at least to somewhere more private. They didn’t make it very far, before Emperor began telling N-Pacer to search the castle and its grounds for Prince. The woman left right away, and Rider was left to do his best to get Emperor to their room. 

“Rider, let go of me.” 

His husband shook his head, and only tightened his grip. “No. I know you.” 

“I will count to three, and if you don’t let go, I’ll-“

“Stop being a child,” Rider snapped. He knew before the captain reported back that Prince had been taken, and he didn’t want Emperor to become a mess in the hallway. “Look, Emperor, let’s go to our rooms, if anyone finds anything, they’ll know where we are.” 

To his astonishment, Emperor nodded and stopped trying to free himself, making the trip much easier. ‘Pace, please prove me wrong.’ 

The air was damp as Prince woke up, his head killing him, to the sound of heavy metal clanging shut. Metal clanging? He sat up, too quick for his head as he nearly passed out again, and looked around. He was not in the banquet hall, not in his room, not in his castle even; he knew what their dungeons looked like, he’d snuck down to investigate one day, but this was not their dungeon. Fear began to take hold as the Prince took in his surroundings, iron bars on three sides, stone wall behind, some hay he assumed he was to sleep on, a bucket, and a cup of water. 

His heart raced, he’d been kidnapped; he didn’t understand why, he’d done nothing wrong, he hadn’t made anyone angry with him. Yet, he was trapped in a cell, no one around him, except the person who he assumed had closed the door. Prince stared at the person with tearful eyes, “Please let me go.” 

“In your dreams,” the person laughed, shocking Prince with their mannerism. “I’ve been told nothing can touch you, need you in perfect form in order for my liege to get what he wants.” 

The kid began to shake, he didn’t want to know what that person’s leader wanted, but was fairly certain it involved him being exchanged. “Doesn’t mean I can’t play with you. How are you with spiders?” The look of fear on Prince’s face told the person everything. “Excellent.” 

It had been a few days since they had established that Prince had been taken, and the king only deteriorated from then on; it had gotten to the point where Emperor refused to leave his rooms, refused to even eat, only doing so when Rider would feed him. It wasn’t easy, though he always made it happen, telling him that he needs his strength for the moment they find Prince. Three nights now, Rider had been woken up by Emperor in tears, dreams haunting the king each night. 

The sorry state of his husband broke Rider’s heart, he didn’t want to lose Emperor too. He tried to help where he could, fill in for Emperor, but Eging always insisted that Rider stay with the king, that was where he was needed the most. The majority of his days were spent as the king’s pillow, to cry into, to sleep on, to squeeze tight when Emperor needed to let it all out. It seemed hourly he would reassure him that Prince would be found, that he’s okay. 

Rider knew Prince was a smart kid, he had every faith in him that he’d at least be able to survive until he was found. Emperor however, was less convinced. 

By the sixth day, Emperor has stopped listening to reason, refusing to eat to keep his strength up and Rider was at a loss; short of force feeding him, he couldn’t do much to get the king to eat. Until they got a letter, one that Rider read though three times with Eging and N-Pacer, before he folded it up and brought it to Emperor, along with lunch. 

“No,” was all Emperor said, the pain of a hungry stomach paled in comparison to his heart. 

Nevertheless, the tray was set before the king, and Rider sat beside him on the bed, flashing the piece of paper. A hand shot out to grab it, Emperor hoping it would tell him anything on the whereabouts of his brother, but Rider pulled it away. “You need to eat before you can read it, trust me Emp.” 

Emp, Rider hadn’t used that nickname the entire time Prince had been gone, why now? Eyeing him warily, the king ate on his own accord, a pleasant surprise for him, and in no time flat the food was gone. “Wow, okay, guess you can read it,” he muttered, and Emperor snatched the paper. 

The king’s heart sank for but a moment, before a fiery rage made its way into his system; some little kingdom he’d been respectful of, for he didn’t seek out useless battles, had kidnapped his brother for a ransom. In the letter, it was made known how much they wanted, with the promise Prince wouldn’t be hurt. Emperor didn’t trust that, they asked for only a small caravan to be sent with the wealth to collect the young royal; it was easy to see the group being slain on sight, both money and Prince being kept. 

No, the king wanted it done right, wanted to eliminate this person who had a death wish. Like hell he’d send a small party, this person was asking for war, and he would give them one. Emperor was quick, he nearly jumped from the bed to grab his sword and cloak, but Rider was equally fast in blocking his exit. “Rider, move, I have someone to execute and a war to initiate.” 

Rider grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him back to the bed. “You leave tomorrow, we all read it before you, your army is getting ready to mobilize.” Golden eyes almost glared at Rider, but Emperor dropped his sword. “Permit me to spend tonight with you,” Rider added while pulling the king into a hug. “You need to destress, an army can’t be led properly if you’re already on the fritz.” 

Before Emperor could argue otherwise, Rider slid a hand inside the king’s waistline, caressing the skin as he went. “We’ve got all afternoon to get you destressed, let’s enjoy ourselves.” It was rare that Rider took charge during their intimate moments, but right then, he didn’t mind Rider leading. 

The kingdom that had taken Prince was a fair distance away, but after five days travel, for moving an army that distance was a large task, the king had the opposition’s castle in his sights. No doubt they’d gotten word of his army at their doorstep, and had one of their own waiting just beyond their town gate. Eging was quick to remind him that this kingdom was small, and the king that ruled had run it into the ground with its finances. It’s people were fewer than his, and for the most part incapable of forming and holding a defensive position. 

With the army left to make camp, Emperor and Eging rode through the town, then stopped at the castle gate. “Relinquish my brother and surrender your kingdom to me,” the king yelled, hoping he wasn’t talking to thin air. 

“I decline, we simply desire the wealth we requested,” someone yelled with equal volume. 

Emperor shook his head, he really hoped to avoid bloodshed if possible. “Looks like it’ll be the hard way, come along Eging,” he sighed, steering his horse to leave. His advisor watched as the king glanced about the town, he didn’t want to send an army through it, he knew what destruction could be caused by it. “Get ready to mobilize the army,” Emperor instructed. “I have business to attend to.” 

Eging rode back to camp, and Emperor stopped his horse, his face expressionless for the moment; it was sad people had to pay for their king’s idiocy. At least they wouldn’t need to worry about that after all was done. Ensuring his sword was at his side, he made his way back to the castle. 

He kept a straight face as he dismounted and opened the gate, walking briskly to the main entrance of the keep. It was small, at least to Emperor’s standard, and incredibly run down on the outside. The main hall inside, however, was incredibly ornate, more so than even he thought appropriate. “Strange, no guards,” Emperor mused to himself, figuring they were probably what made up the army. 

At the end of the hall stood the other king, a frown deep on his face as Emperor kept up his approach. “I admit, I have been outdone in extravagant architecture,” he began, waving his hand about to illustrate his point. “You must be pleased with your engineers, creating something that enabled you to abscond with my brother. That is not an easy feat, you have my congratulations.” By then, Emperor stood at swords length from the opposing king, and offered him a gentle smile. “Allow me to give you your prize, death.” As he spoke, he pulled his sword out and performed a horizontal slice in front of him, effectively removing the man’s head from his shoulders. 

A sickening noise filled the hall as the head fell to the stone floor, the body soon followed. Blood began to drain from the severed neck, staining the floor as it ran through cracks in the rocks. Emperor picked up an edge of the now beheaded monarch’s cloak, and began to clean his blade; of course it would be properly attended to at home, but he refused to bloody the inside of its sheath. 

He stood in wait, Eging was bringing a small group of soldiers to search the castle, and was pleased to see them not five minutes later. “Looks like I missed a show,” Eging commented. 

Instead of answering, Emperor stepped over the body to go inspect a wall. “You know, this would make a nice winter residence, simply make it more suitable for living in.” The king spoke as if he hadn’t just killed someone, instead going over interior decor choices to be made. 

On and on he continued, musing what tapestries should be transported there, what furniture he should have made, until a soldier came jogging towards him. “Your majesty, we found the entrance to the dungeon.” 

The king’s heart was in his throat as he followed the soldier to a rotting wooden door. It smelled awful, but the two passed through the doorway, and began walking along a hallway of cells. Movement caught his eye, way at the back, then heard the faintest “Emperor?” 

As fast as they could, the cell door was opened, and Emperor picked up his brother, looking him over for any sign of injury. He held him close, and Prince began to cry. “I was scared,” he managed, and latched onto the king. 

“Shh, I’m here, you’re safe now,” Emperor whispered as he shifted him so he was easier to carry. “Close your eyes, we’ll be out of here soon.” 

Prince did as he was told, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt Emperor walk out of the dungeon. He felt something draped over him, part of a cloak, but he just held on tighter; a cloak was nice, but all he wanted was his brother. 

Emperor carried Prince to his horse, and was helped up by some soldiers. “Eyes closed, Prince,” he reminded him, but he had no need. Prince could hear screams and wailing from wherever the army was, and it terrified him. He spurred the horse, making his way to achieving a full gallop, so the two reached camp in record time. 

Only when they were inside the king’s pavilion was Prince allowed to look. He’d never been in an army basecamp before, every noise making him jump. Emperor was already removing his chainmail and any extra pieces he’d worn, until it was his basic tunic and breeches, then told Prince to do the same. “Prince, we can sleep here tonight, or begin our way home tonight, which would you prefer?”

“Can we go home?” 

“Absolutely. Let me just grab a few things.” 

A few things were truly few; bedrolls, blankets, change of basic clothes, flint, an axe, and a bag of money. The king left out any regalia, left out any armour, he left his sword even, opting for a simple dagger. Prince was beyond confused as they mounted the horse, it was packed and ready, and it’s bridle and saddle held no distinguishing features. “Emperor?” 

Emperor didn’t answer, not until they were a ways from the camp. “We rarely spend time together, so I thought it would be in our interests if it was just you and I on the trip home.” He fell silent as they continued on, only stopping when they found a sizeable town with an inn. Once the room and stable were paid for, the brothers made their way to bed. “Admittedly this was Rider’s idea,” he confessed, and Prince smiled, he missed Rider too. “Telling me to try not being king for once, and be a brother. Easy for him to say, being an only child.” 

That explained it, why they were plain as plain could be, Emperor wasn’t a king right now, all he was, was Prince’s older brother. “Let’s try to have fun tomorrow,” Emperor suggested before falling asleep. 

Prince wanted to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw himself back in the cell, being tortured with fire or spiders, his memory haunting him. Eventually he gave up, and crossed the room to Emperor, then shook him awake. “Can’t sleep, bad memories.” 

That was something Emperor had been afraid of, so he inched over, trying to make room for Prince to lay down. “It’s alright, nothing will harm you now,” he said as he draped his arm across his brother, quickly falling back asleep. Eventually Prince drifted off, and while his dreams were far from pleasant, he slept through the night. 

Morning came, and Prince was the first to wake up, though his movements were restricted as Emperor held him like a teddy bear. He turned to face his brother, and had to hold back laughter; Emperor had the worst case of bedhead he’d ever seen. When he felt Emperor shift in his sleep, Prince could no longer contain his laughter; not only did his brother have bedhead, his brother drooled in his sleep too. 

Tired eyes cracked open at the sound of laughter, and glanced at Prince confused, “whasso funny?” he muttered, barely functional. 

“You drooled and you got bedhead,” his young brother pointed out, still smiling. 

All he got was a raised eyebrow in response, and Prince fell quiet; was he not supposed to laugh at that? He began to worry, but a smile cracked Emperor’s lips. “I’d say look in the mirror, and my arm is quite wet thank you very much.”

Prince began to turn pink, he hadn’t thought he’d be equally as messy waking up, but perhaps it was a family trait. “Ready to explore the town?” 

It took a week for Emperor and Prince to return, staying and exploring in towns some days, others spent camping in a forest, going on walks to simply enjoy the nature, but finally, they were home. Rider was waiting for the two at the door when he saw them arrive at the stables, and was greeted by Prince launching himself at Rider, happy to be back.


End file.
